The present invention relates to a computer hub for use in a LAN (local area network), and more particularly to such a computer hub which has connection ports at its two opposite sides.
Twist pair type cables are most popularly used in front-end LANs for connection to desk-top personal computers for the advantage of being easy to be managed in cross linking means in a hub. IEEE802.3 defines 10BASE-T standards of transmission speed 10 Mb/s based on regular Ethernet""s CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection). A LAN of CSMA/CD design allows the user to add additional terminals or to change its layout freely, therefore the access procedure is easy, and the cost is low. In order to prevent net scale to be continuously extended and the total handling capability to be lowered due to increase of terminal number, the system architecture of using FDDI (fiber-distributed data interface) for the central LAN and cheaper 10BASE-T CSMA/CD for branch LANs has been gradually accepted. When building a 10BASE-T LAN, a hub is needed to connect all computers or servers together. Because the cables which are connected to the interface cards at the computers or servers are to be gathered to the hub, the hub must have a plurality of ports (normally, the number of sports is 4, 8, or 12) for receiving the cables. Because a hub has a circuit board in it for managing input/output information, power supply must be provided to the hub. When an AC adapter is used to provide power supply to a hub, the hub must have a power socket for receiving power supply from the AC adapter. If a hub is designed to receive city power supply directly, it must have an AC-DC converter on the inside (see Japanese Patent #6-311161, #8-204745). However, because regular hubs have connection ports at one side only, it is difficult to arrange the layout of the cables in a hub when the cables come from different directions. The arrangement of the layout may not be so difficult if sufficient installation space is available. However, it is inconvenient to arrange the cables in good order when the hub is installed in a narrow area. Further, notebook computers have become more and more popular nowadays for the advantage of high mobility. However, it is difficult to set up a LAN by connecting notebook computers to a hub at a place where there is no city power supply.
The present invention has been accomplished to provide a computer hub which eliminates the aforesaid problems. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a computer hub which can be installed in a narrow space, enabling the connected cables to be arranged in good order. It is another object of the present invention to provide a computer hub which can be to battery power supply. According to one aspect of the present invention, the computer hub comprises a hub body having a plurality of connection ports at a plurality of peripheral sides thereof for the connection of signal lines from computers/servers. According to another aspect of the present invention, the connection ports are arranged at two opposite peripheral sides of the hub body. According to still another aspect of the present invention, the computer hub further comprises a battery box for connection to the hub body by a magnetic attraction force to provide battery power supply to the inside circuit board in the hub body, wherein the battery box comprises positive and negative power terminal means for power output, and magnetic means at one side wall thereof for fastening to the battery box; the hub body comprises positive and negative contact terminal means at one side wall thereof for contacting the positive and negative power terminal means at the battery box to receive battery power supply from the battery box, and magnetic means for attracting the magnetic means at the battery box to secure the hub body to the battery box and to keep the positive and negative contact terminal means in close contact with the positive and negative power terminal means.